About
Our Founder, Ilze Gideons, was born in an apartheid South Africa in a town called Stellenbosch. Ilze’s life began in a system designed for her to never succeed, be recognized, nor be afforded proper, basic education.
Defying the odds, Ilze found the opportunities to break through barriers and find her place in this world. She has traveled widely, learned to speak several languages, and is most passionate about her country and connecting people to it and to one another.
Ilze pioneered a company called “The Ubuntu Project” in 2021 which connects South Africa to the rest of the world through textiles, by way of a fabric called “Shweshwe” with a rich history and story behind it.
From there, Ubuntu.Travel was birthed in 2022 and she is currently working on a wine label, Ubuntu Wines, connecting all of her passions to make some of the best that South Africa has to offer, available to all.
“In South Africa, there is a Nguni/Bantu concept known as UBUNTU - The profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will, in equal measure, be due to the work and achievement of others.”
